Of Wolven Eyes and Open Hearts
by StinkMcDink
Summary: Bloodlines mix and bonds are forged. What happens when Kagami's brother conceives a child in secret that changes the very course of fate? The shinobi world will be shaken and no one knows what will happen. Eventual godlike Naruto/Sasuke. NaruHina SasuSaku.
1. Chapter 1

**Of Bonds Forged in Feelings**

Konohagakure. The first ninja village, as well as the most powerful and respected one of the five great villages. It was thought to be the jewel of shinobi and citizens alike. A place where both could live free of judgment and live their lives how they saw fit. A place anyone could call home. Anyone except Naruto, that is. Naruto had a terrible secret about him, for inside this innocent child, a beast of death and rage resided: The Kyuubi. The boy had lived in the village his whole life, but he was never loved or cared for by anyone all because of his circumstances of his birth. Nearly everyone hated the boy from the richest down to the poorest. Nearly everyone except the Hokage.

Through the boy's first years of life, he was cared for by him. When he was five, the Hokage even presented him with his own apartment. But as the boy grew, so did the villager's animosity towards him. And when he was seven, it had come to a grisly head.

It was October 10th, Naruto's birthday. For a normal child this would mean that he would be surrounded by friends and family, but for Naruto it was a day filled with dread, fear and panic. Every year on this day, mobs would form in the street and and shinobi and civilians alike would come looking for "the demon child." He knew that this year would be no different but he didn't realize what would actually happen this time.

As Naruto was anticipating the mobs to form, he went where he usually went to hide, a clearing on the western outskirts of the village. As he entered the clearing, he felt as if something was off about the place.

"Maybe I'm just a bit jumpy," he mumbled incoherently to himself as he moved toward the makeshift campsite he had created in his spare time. He went to start a fire for the bitterly cold night when he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He became more alert now knowing something was wrong.

Naruto scanned the circular treeline, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He began hearing rustles all around the clearing as if some malicious predator was stalking him, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Then everything went quiet and he felt a overwhelming evil force fill the air. Naruto's stomach clenched in on itself in pure and feral fear. Just as he was going to make a mad dash for the forests, five shinobi appeared out of the tree line. They all looked to be chuunin or higher rank and they were all dressed for a fight.

"Wh-what do you want from me?" he asked being almost paralyzed by the KI these men were giving off.

"Don't act coy, monster, we're here to take your fucking life like you took those of our families!" came a response from one of the thugs.

There was an assent from the rest of the shinobi around who were looking more determined in their cause after the rallying speech given by the deranged shinobi. As the shinobi were closing in on the young boy another one stepped out of the tree line, this one feeling more powerful than the rest.

"Stop! This filth does not deserve the mercy of a quick death, we will make sure he suffers for what he has done to all of us."

The man speaking was tall with a thin but muscular frame. He had a standard jonin vest and attire on, but had the patch of the Konoha Police Force on his right arm. As he further stepped out of the shadows you could see his eyes blazing red with three tomoe in each of them: the Sharingan.

The five other shinobi simply nodded knowing they were not needed for know. The Uchiha bent down face to face with the terrified Naruto and slowly looked him straight in the eye, putting him under strong genjutsu.

"You are nothing but a scar upon this village, its time to get rid of you once and for all," the Uchiha said with pure hate and loathing in his voice.

As the Uchiha's words sunk into Naruto's mind he found himself in a Konoha he did not recognize. The trees around the village were burning fiercely and buildings were ruined. As he looked around there was destruction everywhere. As Naruto tried to take a step further he found himself in a different part of the village, and this time he felt a force so malicious that it brought him to his knees. In front of him was a giant fox with nine tails rampaging through the village. Naruto tried to close his eyes but it was no use he was forced to watch as the fox destroyed and massacred buildings and people alike. As he finally got the will power to look down he saw heaps of bloody and broken bodies surrounding him, while blood pooled all around. He was in hell.

"STOP, PLEASE STOP. MAKE IT END!" he cried out but the images kept getting more and more intense.

As the boy was writhing in the clearing, the other shinobi were smiling maniacally at the child being tortured, the Uchiha for his part was staring blanking at the lowly creature Naruto had become. He looked at the other shinobi and gave a slight nod, the signal to end it first shinobi came forth and stabbed Naruto in the shoulder, wanting to cause the boy more pain before they all finished him together. That stab was what triggered Naruto's path to the end of his life.

Naruto snapped out of the genjutsu, and suddenly the clearing was filled with chakra so dark and hateful that a couple of the shinobi fell to their feet, unable to stand the onslaught of it.

"WHY, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME! WHAT DID I DO?" the roared at them, his voice filled with hurt and rage.

Naruto stood up and removed the sword still embedded in his shoulder and in a blind rage fueled by orange chakra charged the shinobi closet to him. He stuck his sword deep in the first man's chest, killing him instantly, and then before anyone could react he went on a killing fury until only two people were left. The first was a man with light brown hair tied into a short ponytail with a scar over his nose bridge. The second was the cold-eyed Uchiha whose expression had not changed since he had entered the clearing.

"Iruka, go. Now. I will handle this."

"Shinto, we should take this bastard on together ourselves!"

"No, as it is only one of us in leaving alive and it will be you."

"But-"

"GO! That's an order. You have a life ahead of you, I do not." The Uchiha was firmly fixed upon the boy's eyes.

Iruka nodded his head solemnly and headed away, back toward the village.

"_This boy, he is not what I thought him to be, he has hurt in his eyes, he has eyes like my own." _Shinto thought as he looked upon the boy who now had a two tomoe sharingan in each eye.

Naruto, still flowing his murderous chakra charged the man and with all his might. Subconsciously he expected the man to fight back, but he did not. Naruto stabbed the man in the abdomen fully intent on hurting him as much as possible when he saw a single tear fall down the dying man's face. Seeing this confused Naruto and he reflexively took a couple steps back before finally realizing what he had done.

"Why, why do people hate me? Why do I even live if this is all I get out out it?" the boy whispered.

The Uchiha now looked at the boy. He was only seven yet he held pain in him that a thousand man would not feel in a thousand lifetimes. He was a husk of a boy filled with pain and suffering. He again looked at his blazing sharingan and Shinto's own father's words came to him.

"_Shinto, this world is unfair and cruel. Tough and unforgiving. It will swallow you up if you let it and spit you out as a fiend of hatred and cruelness. That is what the sharigan often is: a product of this world, and those who do not see through those eyes of suffering are the lucky ones."_

Shinto paused a moment as he felt his life blood slipping away and his consciousness fade. He finally understood what his father had meant all those years ago.

"This world is cruel, kid. Its not fair and it destroys a lot of people. You are a product of that, a being made to hate. But hate often comes from a deep rooted since of love. Kid, whatever you do now, don't let this world get to you or it will destroy you from the inside out. Beware those eyes of yours."

As the last words left the man's mouth, so too did his life leave his body. Naruto sat there for awhile looking down at the mans body and his own blood stained hands. He was unsure what anything he said meant. Then, finally a wave a realization hit him and he began crying an deep and guttural cry. He had taken a life and he wanted nothing more to die right then and there. And as if the very Sky was answering his cries, it started to rain. Naruto looked up and began at last to scream into the night air.

" WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS? WHY AM I HERE? "

"**You, you are here to suffer. To be beaten by the world that created you until you are nothing but dust in the wind."**

A deep voice snarled these words at him, but from where he did not know. He looked across the bloodstained clearing and saw nothing but bodies and death.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" as he said the words something drew him into himself and he found himself standing in front of a large industrialized cage.

"**You are pathetic. Nothing but a piece of filth thrown away by your 'great village'."**

This time Naruto could tell it was coming from whatever was on the other side of that cage. He walked a few steps forward until he felt an evil chakra, one that was both familiar and alien to him.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked shakily, fear evident in his voice.

"**I am a demon, a harbinger of destruction, and a manifestation of hatred. You shinobi call me the 'Demon Fox' but I prefer the name Kyuubi."**

As the Kyuubi said this, he walked forward revealing himself in all of his terrible glory. His eyes glowed red with hate as he looked down on Naruto.

"**Your Yondaime Hokage put me here. He put me here to make you suffer, to make you loath life itself."**

"No-no he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't, he wouldn't, he wouldn't! The Yondaime was a true hero, he would never do anything like that!"

"**HAHAHAHA! He saw weakness in you even as an infant. He saw nothing but a failure fit for being an entire village's punching bag!"**

Having seen nothing but horror after horror that night Naruto was beginning to break. He started doubting why he was here. He started wondering if the fox was right. He was starting to question if his life had any meaning at all. As he was on the verge of being broken he remembered his assailant's final words.

" _This world is cruel. Its not fair and it destroys a lot of people. You are a product of that, a being made to hate. But hate often comes from a deep rooted since of love. Kid, whatever you do now, don't let this world get to you or it will destroy you from the inside out."_

Remembering those final words of wisdom was enough for Naruto to resolve himself. Even if he was hated by all in this village, that didn't mean that he would be hated by all of the world. As these things raced through the boys head he asked the Kyuubi a question he had never been asked.

"Why? Why do you hate so much, why do you cause so much pain?"

The Kyuubi was taken aback by this question, for as long as he had lived only one other person had asked him questions such as this.

"**I am the Kyuubi, I am hate incarnate. I don't need a reason to hate. I. AM. HATE."**

Naruto looked up at the kyuubi with his crimson eyes but instead of anger and rage, there was instead pure sadness with a single tear streaming down from his right eye. A sadness that grew from a lifetime of being hated and a tear of terrible circumstance.

"_**This child, he is much like me. He is full of hurt, full of sadness, and yet he does not fill it with hate. Jiji, is this what you meant? Was I wrong all along?"**_

Naruto looked on as he saw the hate in the fox's eyes turn to misty sadness. He wondered what this creature had gone through and resolved to find out before his own life came to an end.

"Kyuubi, what is your name?"

To Naruto this question seemed trivial. To the Bijuu, however it meant more than he could put into words in a thousand lifetimes.

"**I am called Kurama, Bijuu of Nine Tails."**

Naruto dropped to his knees in front of Kurama's cage and kneeled in prostration.

"I know that look in your eyes, Kurama, one of pain and sadness. I do not pretend to know what you have gone through, but I can at least understand some of what you are going through. I am still young and foolish so I might even be able to grasp your pain, but I will do all I can to come to understand you!"

As Naruto kneeled before him, he could not help but hear the Jiji's thoughts run through his head:

"_**Eventually a time shall come when you will become one… And each carry a name… And with a different shape than you had up to now. There you will be shown a righteous path, different from the time you spent inside of me. And there you will learn what true power is."**_

"_**Perhaps this is what you meant, Jiji. Perhaps this is the beginning of that path."**_

"**Naruto, you have shown me respect I have not received in a thousand years. Stand tall for you no longer have any reason to prove yourself to me. Show me your conviction through action and I in turn will strive to earn your respect as well."**

Naruto stood up to look at Kurama and a look of mutual respect passed between them. Naruto nodded his head slightly and Kurama nodded his in return. A bond had been forged there, one that unbeknownst to them would last until the end.

"_**This boy is Uchiha but I sense no evil in those eyes of his, they are are like the opposites of Madara. It will be interesting to see what path he will go down."**_

"**I will be watching your back Naruto, and I have a feeling it will be interesting to watch."**

As Kurama had said his goodbyes, the link to his inner mindscape was cut off. Even as he was processing what had happened he heard distant shouting, and before he could think he started running. He ran as fast as his legs could take him, he heard shouts as well as whistles and knew they were tracking him. Naruto pushed his body further and further, determined to put as much distance between himself and his tormentors as he could. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours as he ran as fast as he could, he would not let the demons catch him.

Finally Naruto could go no further, but he could still hear his pursuers behind him. In front of him was a vast wooded area and desperately he crawled his way into the wood determined to escape. He crawled and crawled until he found himself near a stream. As he crawled toward it, he saw his reflection for the first time time and what he saw shook him. His face and hands were covered in blood and it finally sunk in just what he had done to his attackers. He had known before that there was no going back and this further drove the point that Konoha was no longer his home.

After he had drank from the stream enough to sustain himself, he continued running east until finally he could hear the sound of his pursuers no more. He continued slowly on foot until he found himself in a large clearing. The moon was full and as he gazed upon it he saw something slowly fall to the earth. Snow. It was snowing in October he remarked how strange that was until finally his body gave out and he collapsed, his consciousness gone in a matter of seconds.


	2. Chapter 2

**Failure and Longing**

**Hokage's Office 4 Hours Earlier**

Hiruzen was at his desk, sifting through piles of paperwork. Currently he was irritably wondering for what seemed like the millionth time why he had ever accepted this accursed job. But, even as he thought this, his eyes wandered to the portraits of his predecessors and he gave a great sigh.

"Tobirama-sensei, you could have at least warned me what all this job entailed."

He gave a melancholy chuckle as his thoughts went toward his youth, of days when he, Danzo, and Kagami had dreamed of making the village bigger and better than it had been. Those were days far in the past but still he felt himself longing fiercely for them. Today Danzo would rather stab Hiruzen than talk to him, and Kagami had died peacefully far back when they were all still young. As he thought of the bitter sweet memories of his friends. He heard a solid knock on his door.

"Enter," came Hiruzens reply as he snapped out of his wistful daydreams.

The door opened and two shinobi came in. Two shinobi he knew very well. One was a tall man with white hair and a mask covering his lower face, while the other was a slightly shorter man with black hair and fierce eyes. As Hiruzen looked over them, he could tell something was very wrong.

"Kakashi, Shisui, what has happened?"

"Hokage-sama, there are riots in the streets. They are looking for him," Kakashi spoke calmly but Hiruzen could detect a hint of worry in his voice.

Hiruzen frowned until he looked up at a calendar in front of him, it was October 10th. The anniversary of the most tragic event to take place in Konoha history, as well as the birthday of the Yondaime's legacy.

"Where is Naruto now?" Hiruzens tone changed from worried to deadly serious.

"We do not know. I have my most skilled scouts searching, but I am doubtful that they will find anything in time," Shisui replied in a grave tone.

Hiruzen frowned at this, Shisui's group of trackers were the most skilled the village had to offer.

"Explain yourself, Shisui."

"I believe an Uchiha has led a group to assassinate Naruto. Even with Hana and Tokuma, I believe they will not find him."

"There are only a handful of shinobi in Konoha that could avoid those two, and even fewer in the Uchiha, who do you think it is?" Kakashi posed the question to the room at large.

Hiruzen took a deep breath before looking at Shisui with a deadly look in his eyes.

"It was Shinto, wasn't it?"

"I-I believe so, yes."

Kakashi was shocked to hear this, Shinto was one of the most loyal shinobi he had ever met. He had even trained with him when he had first received his sharingan. But he was also a shinobi that was unsurpassed in espionage and remaining undetected.

"But why? Shinto is a loyal shinobi of the Leaf why would he go after Naruto?"

"Shinto's mother and father, as well as his grandmother were killed in the Kyuubi attack," Shisui explained. "Hate can drive people to do terribly stupid things, especially those among my clan."

A short silence followed as Shisui gave Kakashi a solemn look. The two shinobi had both seen a lot, but even so Shisui had more experience than Kakashi. Kakashi simply nodded for his part, sure that his senior was right. After a few seconds more, Hiruzen interrupted the grim silence.

"Shisui, Kakashi; go to the Hyuuga compound and retrieve Ko for me. Rendezvous with me on the eastern side of the village. We will begin a seperate search there"

"Yes sir," the two replied as they vanished together.

After the two left Hiruzen looked up at the portrait of the Yondaime. He looked at the picture and to him, it seemed to stare back at him with eyes full of hope. As he kept looking tears began to form in the old man's eyes and realized how much a fool he really was.

"Minato, I am a fool. I have left your legacy alone in a sea of fire. Alone in a place that despises him for circumstances that he could not help. I promise you if I find him, I will make sure he is truly treated right."

Hiruzen turned away,tears still streaming down his face as he open a wardrobe with his shinobi attire within.

"Naruto, I promise to make this up to you."

**30 Minutes Later**

Hiruzen felt their chakra approaching long before he saw them. Shisui and Kakashi had returned with Ko Hyuuga in tow. He looked a little flustered to be called out so late at night but he knew this must be important.

"Ko-san, I know it is irregular for a Hyuuga to be summoned like this, but we have need of a skilled tracker. Your skills are second only to Tokuma, but he is occupied with a similar mission now. Can I count on you fill in for him?"

The tone of Hiruzen's voice said that this was more of a command than a question, but Ko was unfazed, being used to similar treatment from Hiashi.

"I am shinobi of Konoha, Hokage-sama, it is my duty to help the village however I can. What would you have me to do?"

"Naruto Uzumaki has gone missing. We four will search to the east, and we will find him."

Ko flinched slightly at the name of the boy. He had been told by Hiashi to keep away from that child, and he was never one to disobey his clan's head.

Being prepared, the four of them set out. Ko and Shisui were out front, their combined doujutsu scanning the forest for any trace of Naruto or his pursuers. Hiruzen was in the mid point with Kakashi taking the rear, making sure no one followed behind.

The four traveled further east until they heard a deep whistle coming from their far left.

"Its Hana. She must have picked up something," Shisui called back as they changed their course toward the whistle.

It didn't take long for the two groups to join and Hana pulled up beside Shisui, and Tokuma joined Ko in the front.

"I'm picking up a smell similar to Naruto's but its mingled with a scent I don't recognize."

"A smell you don't recognize, now thats a suprise."

"Make fun all you want, but this smell, it smells ….evil."

Shisui dropped his more playful attitude and dropped back to join Hiruzen.

"She said it smelled off, evil even, what do you make of it, Hokage-sama?"

"The Yondaime's seal is largely unknown to us. It is Uzumaki fuinjutsu, and the Uzumaki rarely taught jutsu to outsiders, even among the Senju. If it was broken we would have felt it by now, but still, have everyone form up just incase."

"Yes sir."

The tracking formed up and moved onward toward where Hana's keen nose was leading them. And finally they found it, the clearing that emitted the strange and powerful scent. It had seemed like ages to Hiruzen and Shisui, but they were finally there.

What they saw however shook them to their very core. The clearing looked like something out of hell. It was covered with blood, and bodies were strewn across the ground as if something with great strength had thrown them like ragdolls. The bodies all wore Konoha uniforms and headbands and one near the eastern edge of clearing wore the Konoha police force patch.

"Shinto," Shisui said quietly as he bent down to examine his clansmen.

"_A clean stab right through the liver. From the look of it, it was made with a lot of strength. Probably dropped his guard when he was exhausted from the sharingan." _Shisui thought as the others began to examine the area.

"What happened here? Its like something out of a horror movie," Hana whispered quietly as she moved across toward Shisui.

The two Hyuuga were silent but were just as shocked as the rest of them. Hiruzen and Kakashi stood at the edge both with a look of sad realization at what had happened.

"_Naruto, you did what you had to do to survive, but the village will never accept this. The clans will call for a new jinchuriki and it will be out of my hands. Naruto, I hope you are far away now, for that will be your only saving grace: leaving the Land of Fire." _Hiruzen thought to himself as he again looked over the carnage in front of him.

"Tokuma, Ko, Hana, gather around," Hiruzen beckoned. "As of right now, Naruto Uzumaki is dead and this mission is over. We found Naruto's blood but not his body and we have considered his body burned with chakra tags. Do you all understand?"

"But-" began Hana, but Shisui put his arm on hers to silence her.

"We scoured the forest but only found the body of Shinto and his squad, who together committed mass suicide to mourn their losses on the anniversary of the Kyuubi attack." Hiruzen continued. "Do you all understand?"

The shinobi before him nodded gravely. With looks of horror and solemn understanding crossing each of their faces.

"You three are dismissed. Shisui, Kakashi, walk with me more."

The three shinobi left as they were told, their hearts heavy, but full of understanding. As Ko and Tokuma raced forward, Hana looked back and saw that the three men all had tears in their eyes.

"Shisui, do you know what lies beyond these forests?" Hiruzn asked, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Vargrheim, Home of Wolves." Shisui replied, clearing tears from his eyes.

"Indeed. Let us hope they are more hospitable than the wretches that we are."

Kakashi looked at his seniors solemnly. He knew what Vargrheim was, the home of Sages of Wolves, and silently cursed himself for failing at something once again. He had failed Obito, he had failed Rin, he had failed Minato and Kushina, and now he had failed Naruto. He looked up at the moon with tears in his eyes and vowed to never break a promise again.

"_Minato-sensei, I am a failure. I know you thought me a golden prodigy but I have failed again and again. But now, now I will never accept failure again."_

As the three men were mourning over their failures, they failed to notice a pair of lavender eyes glued toward where they had said Naruto had gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Heritage and Wolves**

A constant droning sound was the first thing Naruto noticed subconsciously. A long sound that was neither loud nor soft, but always constant. As time went on the sound became louder and louder until finally Naruto woke with a start, his body drenched with sweat and his muscles tensed. His mind raced at what had happened as he looked at where he was. He was in a room with dark wood walls with a angled ceiling that seemed to be made of the same wood. The floor beneath him looked to be made of solid, layered stone that was dull grey color. On the wall opposite him and the bed he was in, there was a large fireplace with a crackling fire within. The left wall had a window that looked out into a deep forest of some kind, whether this was the forest he had collapsed in, he did not know. He continued to look around the room, the shadows cast by the fire making him uneasy

"_Where the hell am I?" _he cautiously asked himself as he tentatively stepped out of bed and began examining the fireplace.

The steam emanating from the kettle had a pleasant aroma. It had the aroma of food but something told him not to touch it. He began walking toward the solitary window, hoping he would see answers outside, but as he was walking, he heard a rustle outside and again he became instantly alert. Slowly he inched toward the door that was beside the window until he had his hand on the knob. Slowly he opened the door and found himself in a small clearing, not unlike the one he had passed out in.

"_I don't like the feel of this place," _he thought to himself as he stepped foot outside.

"**As well as you shouldn't. This place reeks with old and powerful chakra."**the voice came from inside himself and it surprised Naruto almost as much as waking up in this cabin had.

"Since when have started to take an interest in my well being, Kurama?"

"**Ever since you started worrying about mine," **the fox replied stoically. "B**ut never mind that now, just keep your guard up, I don't like this place."**

Internally Naruto was both happy that the fox was interested with him and seemed friendly enough. Naruto decided to heed Kurama's words though, and subconsciously activated his sharingan again while keeping his muscles tensed and ready to run.

Naruto finally stepped fully into the clearing and realized that this was not the same one as he had fainted in. In the middle of the clearing was small pond surrounded by what seemed to be carved rocks with faces on him. Threes surrounding the clearing also seemed to be alive as if they were watching your every step. All in all it seemed to Naruto that this was a sacred place, and one he was sure he should not be in.

"_This is not good, I don't think I should be here. I should probably leave."_

But even as he was thinking this, he heard a feminine and low voice behind him.

"Where do you think you're going, child. This forest is deep and I doubt you will be able make it out on your own."

Naruto looked around the clearing, but saw nothing but the pond and the trees. His heart beat quickened and unbeknownst to him, his eyes started spinning rapidly, scanning the place for movement.

"Wh-who are you, what do you want?" Naruto asked shakily, feeling the air become thicker than it was.

As he asked this question, he heard more rustlings in the treeline. At this point his heart was racing and adrenaline pumping, he was scared, and yet something told him not be. He searched one more time and finally he saw a shadow on the southern edge of the clearing.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked again, but this time his voice held no fear, only bright curiosity. After he asked the question, the figure stepped out of the treeline and revealed itself to be a wolf; and indeed female wolf with a look of equal curiosity on her face.

The wolf was light grey with a white streak of fur across her chest. Her eyes burned a bright green color with an unbridled interest in them. She began to walk toward the boy, and Naruto in turn made no movements as he was transfixed on her. She walked until she was mere feet from the boy and they both looked at each other with mutual wonder. It was Naruto who finally broke the silence between them.

"Y-you can talk?" Naruto asked incredulously, effectively breaking the tension and lightening the mood.

The wolf, being caught off guard by Naruto's sudden question could only nod, not sure what to do in a circumstance like this. Finally after a few seconds of silence, the wolf spoke again.

"I found you collapsed in the wood, so our gatekeepers brought here so you might recover."

Naruto, still shocked that a wold was speaking to him didn't quite comprehend what she had just said. But as Naruto was dumbfounded, the wolf was looking at he boy's crimson eyes.

"_Those eyes are definitely the ones the öldungur described, blazing crimson with tomoe so black you get get lost in it."_

As the wolf was wondering on his eyes, Naruto was breaking out of his dumbfounded state. And was wondering why she was staring at him.

"Is something wrong?"

"N-no, its just strange seeing a person so young alone in these woods," the wof replied, shaking herself out of her daydreaming. "Anyway, come with me, there is someone who wishes to speak to you."

Naruto, his dumbfounded mind finally subsided, realized that his fate was unknown, and turned to follow the she-wolf. The two weent further into the forest through trail after rugged trail until finally they entered a massive clearing.

This clearing dwarfed the one they had previosly been in, easlily being three times the size. The edges of this clearing were lined with similar stone carvings that had been around the pool in the smaller clearing. These, however were much bigger and the faces on them were clearer, they were the faces of wolves. Like in the smaller clearing, a pool was in this one as well, though this one was bigger as well. But the thing that dominated the clearing was a large rock face with a large and old wolf perched a top it. The wolf that led Naruto to the clearing took a place sitting beside the rock face as well as another was on the other side.

There was a long pause as the old wolf looked up and down the young boy. To Naruto she seemed to look through him as if seeing something within the young boy. After she had long looked at him, she finally spoke.

"Ah, I see a boy with the eyes of hurt and the soul of strength. A young boy that has seen pain the likes of which few ever have. A great chakra hangs ontoy ou, and within you, much like a cicada waiting to be set free."

Naruto looked at her with undisguised interest and curiosity. She knew about Kurama, yet he had never seen her in his life. How could she know so much about him, and yet moreover why did he feel at such peace here?

"Surely you are confused and a little more frightened. You should not be. We have known of your arrival for many years, though we did not expect you to be kin to our greatest friends."

Naruto was again flustered with questions. He wanted to understand. He wanted someone to tell him who he really was, why he felt this way, and why the world was the way it was.

"I can sense you have a great many questions, young one. Ask them and I will answer what you need to know."

Naruto looked up at the wolf, he could tell she was wise and kind. He wanted to ask her the questions he held most dearly, but somehow he knew that to do so would be wrong. He felt as if some questions should not be answered right away.

"Who are you, and what is this place?" came Naruto's questions. Mani smiled down at him, for this was the resounse she was hpoing to hear.

"I am Mani, Sage of Wolves. The one who led you to this clearing is Hati, and the one who is sitting to my other side glaring at youis Skoll." Mani Replied with humor in her voice. "We are Sages and Students of Nature. As for where you are, this is Vargrheim, home of wolves."

Hearing Mani's answer he felt another question weigh in him heavily.

"Who am I, and why does this place feel so different to me than to Konoha?"

Mani lay there looking at the young boy with a tinge of sadness in her eyes before anwering.

"Come and look into this pond here," she solmnly replied beckoning him towards it.

Naruto walked forward and what he saw confused him. His reflection had crimsom eyes with two black tomoe in each of them, but that was not the most alarming thing. Behind him he could see a young man and woman. The man had spiky hair blonde hair with two strands going down each side of his face. He had deep blue eyes like his own usually were and wore a Konoha headband. The woman had striking long red hair that hung down far below her shoulders. To him, though the most striking feature of her were her eyes, she had the same crimson eyes that he had, except with three tomoe instead of two.

"Wh-who are these people?" Naruto began to say, though he had a sinking feeling that he already knew.

"These are your parents. This is who you are are, the son of The Yellow Flash and the Habenero-Eyed kunoichi." Mani said in a grim tone. "This is the sannleiksvatn, the Water of Truth. It shows what is true"

Silence filled the room as Naruto tried to comprehend the truth in front of him. He looked at the reflection until a slight ripple came across and two more people appeared before him. Again there was a man and a woman, except this time he knew these were different and older. The man had an angular face with shorter ruffled black hair. A sharingan blazed in his eyes that seemed to pierce through Naruto as if he was really looking at him. The woman had red hair again, though it was shorter and pulled up into two large buns with two bangs framing her face with deep violet eyes.

"Your mother was the child of an Uchiha and an Uzumaki. Kiyota and Hinoka. Kiyota was a deep friend of ours and spent much of his time here with us. Hinoka was a skilled kunoichi tasked with gathering intel on our home. Kiyota stopped her, and in the process they fell in love with each other. Hinoka gave birth to your mother just shortly before the Second great Shinobi Conflict. Kiyota and Hinoka both gave their lives in that conflict, and your mother was sent to Konoha."

Hearing what mani had to say brought a new powerful wave of grief over the boy. He was shunned from Konoha and all his known relatives were dead. He had no place to call home. Looking at the pool of water, Naruto fell to his knees, feeling hopeless and empty inside.

**Naruto's Mindscape**

Kurama looked at the boy through his seal and felt his pain, he knew what it felt like to not belong. To be shunned from the world. He wanted to help but did not know how.

"_**Jiji, you gave us Bijuu many talents but fixing a broken heart was not one of them."**_

"_Kurama you seem to have changed quite a lot, haven't you?"_

Kurama looked up from his cage to see Mani within Naruto's mindscape. He was surprised and shocked to see she could enter Naruto's psyche.

"_**What are you doing here, and how are you here?" **_the Bijuu inquired, looking the wolf in the eye.

"_We sages can do many things, this is but one of them. Why are you concerned for this boy, Kurama?"_

"_**He reminds me of an younger me, one full of loneliness and sorrow. A me that had not yet changed to a being of hate."**_

"_And you wish to help him truly?"_

"_**I have seen this boy suffer greatly, Mani. The Jiji trusted you sages intently. He believed you had a place to shape the world alongside us Bijuu. Can you help this boy?"**_

"_I believe I can. He needs a place to belong, a place where he will not be judged for what he contains within him There is a clan that helps us at times and guards Vargrheim. He would be welcome there, and he is welcome here. This could be his new home"_

Kurama looked at Mani and Mani at him. A look of understanding passed between them and they resolved to help this boy as much as they could.

**Naruto's Present**

Naruto sat there looking at the water for a long time. He did not know what to do he was alone and to him he thought he would always be alone. He was still looking at the water when a woman walked in the clearing.

"Mani-sama, I brought you the herbs for your back!" she called as she crossed the clearing.

Hearing another voice cut the silence, Naruto looked up to see a young woman with short brown hair bobbing across the clearing. He looked intently at her, for she didn't seem to stand on cermony and adress Mani like he thought she should be.

"Oh, thank you Reiko, you are as helpful as ever," Mani said as she faced the newcomer. As Reiko bounded toward Mani, she seemed to notice Naruto for the first time.

"Oh, you're awake finally," she said as she came over to the boy. "I worried you were never going to get up!"

Naruto looked up at her in confusion looking to Mani for an explanation, but in fact it was Hati who answerd.

"She is the one who found you, Naruto. You should thank her."

"Oh, thank you," Naruto replied halfheartly as he again got up from his place by the pond.

Reiko walked over and began to check over Naruto, much to his surprise.

"Well, you don't have a fever and it doesn't seem like you have any broken bones. You want to come with me to have a hot meal tonight?"

Naruto, never having been asked to go anywhere with anyone was shocked by the invite, but a part of him deep down thought that maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"S-sure," Naruto replied shakily, not very sure what to do in a situation such as this.

"You sound like you're going to the doctor, relax, it'll be fun," Reiko replied with a smile plastered across her face. "Well, we're off, Mani-sama, I'll try to bring back your guest in one piece."

"You do that," Mani called as Reiko and Naruto left the clearing,

After the two had gone silence filled the clearing again and Skoll started pacing back and forth. Mani and Hati both looked at him as he kept pacing.

"Skoll, is there something wrong?" Hati asked.

"No, I just get the feeling that he's not going to stay with the clan is he?"

"Figured that out, did you?" Mani replied evenly. "Kiyota was unsurpassed in our Senjutsu techniques, so much so that he began to teach other wolves. Naruto is his heir and Gamamaru says he is the Child of Prophecy. I know you both see that belongs here. As of today Vargrheim is Naruto's home as well."


	4. Chapter 4

**Return of the Sage**

It was an early December night in Konoha, and a fierce blizzard was ripping its way through the village. The guards outside the village gate were struggling to keep warm in the fierce gales of the storm. On the whole, they thought there was little use in them being out in the open in such weather. After all, who in their right mind would be traveling in such conditions? But still they continued their vigil, and as the Hokage would say:"There is no greater privilege to a shinobi than keeping the village safe." And so they stuck to their posts, waiting for their shifts to end.

Hiruzen, for his part was awake this late as well, though for very different reasons. Six years ago he had declared his surrogate grandson dead, and for six years this terrible secret had weighed on his soul. The village, naturally, had been thrilled to hear of the "demon childs" demise, to them, their dead loved ones had finally been avenged. But to the elders and many clan heads, it was a very different story. To them, Naruto had been a potential powerful weapon to use against any enemy that dared rear their hand at them, and along with the massacre of the Uchiha, the village was in a venerable state. A venerable state that many people blames Hiruzen for. Even now he was in a meeting with the elders. Koharu and Homura were currently in his office, having come once again to pry as to what Hiruzen had planned for the village's defenses.

"Hiruzen, its been six years since the jinchuriki's disappearance, and five since the Uchiha massacre. We are weakened and exposed, we need decisive action!" It was Homura that was currently patronizing Hiruzen, with Koharu backing up her fellow elder.

Hiruzen looked up from his desk and across at his two teammates. In all their previous visits, they had been demanding, but never this accusatory. Where he once saw old comrades and friends, he now saw shriveled husks full of greed and jealously.

"_Shisui, I almost think you were the most lucky between us. You are at peace now, and I am stuck dealing with these heartless bastards," _Hiruzen thought as his gaze shifted to the ceiling above him.

"We know the jinchuriki is alive, Hiruzen, and we know you have been protecting him. Only a traitor of the village would keep such a powerful weapon from us," Koharu said coldly as she looked at the rather perturbed Hiruzen.

Hiruzen instantly snapped his face to look back at his old teammates. They were cruel and cunning he knew, but he did not expect them to sink as low as to question his loyalty to the village. The look on both Koharu and Homura's faces was cold and dark, one that said they were not willing to let this go this time. Hiruzen began to bristle with anger, he had risked and sacrificed much for this village, and he was not about to let these two excuses for shinobi humiliate him like this. Hiruzen's chakra becoming increasingly agitated, leaking a stifling air of rage and anger in to the room, when quite suddenly, there was a short knock on the door.

**30 Minutes Earlier at the Village Gates**

The guards were continuing to monitor the road into Konoha when they spotted a figure approaching. Being late night, they could not quite tell if it was a person or merely a wandering animal lost in the pure white squall of the storm. As the figure got closer, however, they realized it was a dark humanoid shape. Seeing no reason to stop the figure, as he was still quite a ways away, they merely watched as it approached. As it got closer they could tell it was a shinobi of some kind. They stood at about five feet and were covered in a long cloak that obscured much of their body. However the most striking thing to them was what appeared to be a very large sword on the stranger's back. The guards had been trained to see any armed individual as a potential threat, and so at last they hailed the cloaked figure

"You, there! Hold and state your business" a tall figure exclaimed, holding his hand up as to stop the man.

The figure, however kept approaching, slowly walked to the guard post with an air of mystery about him. The guards were flustered as to what to do, on one hand, it could be a potential danger, but on the other it could be a messenger from some of the outlying clans. Even as they were considering their options, the figure had suddenly appeared before their booth, and the guards at last had a good look at him.

The stranger was young, but had an aura of confidence and strength about him that told the guards that he was not a person to be trifled with lightly. He had a sharp face with piercing blue eyes. His hair was a dark blonde and was spiky with two bangs on either side of his face that were held in place by a simple black headband. Though the cloak concealed much, they could tell what he was wearing. His chest was cloaked in a long black coat that hung down to below his pant line. His shoulders were covered with a heavy metal plating going down each arm, the right going down to his forearm and connecting to a lighter metal gauntlet. The left plate metal went down to his elbow. On his left hand he had a black leather binding on his forearm that concluded into a similar metal gauntlet as his right. His pants were a lighter black with heavy chain mail going down each side. Large pockets were further down the pants, which looked to be full of assorted shuriken and kunai. His boots were heavier than traditional shinobi sandals and were covered on the sides and bottoms with the same heavy metal on his shoulders. But the most curious piece of his attire was a crimson mask in the shape of a wolf with fangs hanging downward that was fastened to his hip. All in all, he looked like a shinobi dressed for war.

The guards were stunned to find such a youth with an aura such as his. His chakra seemed to have a physical force and none of them had felt anything like it, not even from their own hokage. Frankly they were too preoccupied with the youth that they forgot about their duty. Finally, one of the guards snapped out of it and realized they still had a duty to preform.

"Again, what is your business with the Konoha, and why do you desire entry?" The youth looked to the man evenly before responding.

"I have come to talk with your Hokage. I have a message for him from the Land of Steam, the Kaze Clan, and an Anonymous Third Party." the youth produced a sealed scroll from behind his scroll and handed it to the guard in front of him.

The scroll was thick and had a seal on it the like of which none of the guards had ever seen. It looked alien to them with a series of symbols that read: ᚡᚨᚱᚷᚱᚺᛇᛗ. The guards were perplexed as to what to do, and the youth would obviously would not take no for answer. Protocol had no answer for a situation like this. Finally one of them rose from their seats and beckoned the youth to follow him.

"Follow me, the Hokage's office is in the eastern section of the village," a younger man with a bandage across his face. As he left to guide the youth toward the Hokage office, another young man accompanied him, this one with a dark piece of cloth over his head.

"_Kotetsu, what do we do? For all we know, this could be an assassin!" _the man with the cloth over his head whispered to his companion.

_True, but Hokage-sama has his ANBU on guard ever since the massacre, if he is an assassin, he will find himself surrounded with no escape," _the other man replied to his worried companion.

The three made their way through the winter blizzard briskly and in silence. The boy had his eyes glued to his guides and they, in their turn they had their chakra monitoring him closely and intensely. This boy was an enigma, and they thought, a dangerous one at that.

After what seemed like a rather lengthy walk through the Village, they finally arrived at the Hokage Residence, and his guides took their leave. Even though they were needed at the guard post, they had a sinking feeling that something was about to go very wrong, and so they stuck to the shadows behind the building, waiting to see what would happen.

The youth stepped into the building and was greeted by a warm waiting room occupied only by a small secretary at an old oak desk. The secretary looked up as the enigmatic youth entered and beckoned toward him. The youth walked forward, removing his hood and looked at the secretary.

"What is your business here?"

"I'm here to see the Hokage I have-"

"I"m quite sorry, but the Hokage's visiting hours are over, you may try tomorrow if you like," the Secretary said, hardly looking up at the boy.

"I do not care, I will see the Hokage," the boys reply came as coldly as the wind was outside and the secretary felt a shiver of fear run up her spine. She looked up at thee boy's face and some recognition came across her face.

"_The jinchuriki, but he's supposed to be dead,"_ alarms went off in her head and she zoned out, thinking he was here to finally finish his job and destroy the village once and for all.

"I assume his office in still on the third floor?" Naruto asked the dumbstruck secretary. In response, she could only assent, not trusting her voice to do anything other than scream.

"Thank you," Naruto replied as he began walking up the stairs towards the Jiji. He had mixed feelings being back where he had been tormented as a child and a slight shiver went up his spine as he thought of that horrid past.

As he walked step after step up the stairway his thoughts went back to the way he had left the village and he felt an uncertainty come over him.

"**Don't dwell on it kid, like Mani said this Village will accept you back if for no other reason than to have their precious bijuu back. Just make sure you don't come across as too abrasive,"** came Kurama's sage advice within him. He knew he was right, but that didn't stop the nagging feeling that someone would try to manipulate him once again.

Finally Naruto arrived at the door to the Jiji's office, when he had been a kid, this place had been a somewhat safe haven for him, now he just felt dread as he reached to knock on the door. And then just as was beginning to knock, he felt it. A KI that leaked from the room, to him it was nothing, but he knew this was not a good sign for what he might find within. But finally he resolved himself and knocked on the door firmly and sharply.

"Come in," said a voice he had not heard in six years a voice that once meant safety and now meant uncertainty. Beyond the door Naruto could hear two more bickering voices, no doubtfully telling him to wait until whatever conversation they were having was done. Though their voices sounded stifled as the KI did much to quieten them.

Naruto slowly opened and entered the door and found Hiruzen as well as two elders in the room with him. He felt a strange wave of nostalgia and unease as he looked at the wizened Hokage and his visitors. Hiruzen had aged more, but still had the kind eyes he had remembered him having. His face was more weather beaten and wrinkled, but despite that he had a look of a man who would help anyone that needed it. And this sent a surge of tiny hope through Naruto's body.

The elders, however had a cold look about them, as if Naruto's intrusion was an affront to their very being. Naruto recognized both of them immediately as Koharu and Homura, they had given the Jiji much trouble while he was still in the village, and it seemed that they were still at at all these years later.

Naruto stepped further into the light of the room, revealing his features to all in the room. Simultaneously they all realized who he was. Hiruzen saw Naruto, a spitting image of a combination of Minato and Kushina. His hair and eyes were the spitting image of Minato's and his face was sharper and kind much like Kushina's. Hiruzen let out a brief smile at Naruto until he turned his gaze to the two elders in front of him.

The elders looked at Naruto, not with interest in their eyes, but with greed and satisfaction. They finally had their jinchuriki back, and this time it was out of Hiruzen's hands.

Naruto's eyes fell from Hiruzen's warm face, to the elders' cruel and heartless one. He gave both of them a look as cruel and heartless as their own before returning his gave to Hiruzen's.

"_He has returned, but something feels off," _Hiruzen thought to himself as his smile faded as he saw the hard look on Naruto's face.

"Koharu, Homura, you are both dismissed," Hiruzen said all the while intently watching the young man before him.

"No Hiruzen, the jinchuriki concerns more than just you, he must be brought before the village," Koharu coldly replied. Homura nodded agreement behind his partner as they both smiled cruelly at Hiruzen.

"Indeed, he belongs to he village now. He will be brought before the whole council and clans-" Homura tried to say, but before he could continue, a malevolent force choked the words from his mouth.

Naruto had turned toward the two elders, a look of cold hatred in his eyes. His eyes began to turn crimson with three black tomoe and black markings extended around his eyes down to his chin. The air around him seemed to solidify with power and his KI leaked in abundance.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, a sage of Vargrheim. I am the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Minato and his wife Kushina. I belong to no one and this village will control me no longer." he said coldly, his eyes seeming to pierce the very souls of the elders. "I have come to speak to the Hokage, and the Hokage alone."

As Hiruzen watched the events unfold he realized that Naruto was a boy no longer. He did not know what had happened to harden the young man like this, until he thought back to the day he had left.

"_Perhaps this is a product of the village. Perhaps this is a product of my negligence," _he thought to himself as he watched Naruto cow the elders into submission.

The elders, feeling the enormity of his chakra, as well as fear from the pure KI he was leaking. Left in a hurry, not wanting to face the demon the boy had become. After they had left, Naruto turned to Hiruzen and instantly kneeled, the markings across his face as well as his sharingan immediately fading away.

"I apologize for my behavior, Hokage-sama," he apologized stiffly. "I have overstepped my bounds, but I could not stand another degradation from this village."

Hiruzen looked over the boy once more and saw no hint of the child he once knew, He was now a shinobi through and through, his childhood long behind him. He reminded Hiruzen of Kiyota. Serious and always willing to apologize even when he was in the right.

"Naruto, it is I who should be apologizing, I was not there the night you needed me most, and for that I am deeply sorry, but why would you come back, you could have had a perfect life away from the village."

"My mentor, Mani, the Great Sage Wolf, told me you might have answers for me. Two years ago a clan that took me in were massacred to the last woman and child. On that day, I vowed to find the perpetrator. I have wandered for two years, but I found no trace of them. Mani implored me to return to my homeland. She thought Konoha might have answers. She gave me this scroll to give to the Hokage, and told me that my presence and this would most likely buy the favor of the elders and clan heads. I know I have been gone a long time, but I would do anything to bring this monster to justice."

Hiruzen took the scroll from Naruto and read it thoroughly. As he read he came to understand why his mentor had sent him back. He looked up from the scroll to the boy who meant so much to him.

"You would do anything you say?"

"Yes, I would." Naruto replied instantly, his face steeled and ready for what whatever the Hokage's proposition would be.

"Then you will become a Konoha shinobi, and together the village and you will find this criminal. Together we will avenge your lost family."

Naruto looked up at the Hokage and saw tears in the old man's eyes. Naruto himself felt a surge of strange emotion well up from within him. He felt at ease, and finally he realized what emotion this was: happiness.

"Welcome home, Naruto." the old Hokage said to him


End file.
